I want to make a gigantamomungo aquarium. Do you know any good, cheap materials?

Question

I have four turtles in a ten gallon. I reeeaaalllyy want to make a huge aquarium for them (and add fish and cool things), but I dont know what kind of material I should get to suit my budget (which isnt too high). I really want to refrain from glass, cause you know. 'Stuff' happens, as Forrest Gump indirectly said. I want a sort of plexiglass-type material, but it cant be too expensive. Also, you know the support things on tanks? The frames, I guess? Where would I get those, or could I just make them myself for cheap?

So, please, if youve had experience building aquariums before (or not), and can list materials and the average amount per foot, that would be just dandy. Also, what should I do for a hood? I was thinking that if I really wanted to be cheap, I could stretch a bit of screen across the top of the tank and clip one of those desklamps to the side of it. Or is it usually cheaper to just buy an already-made tank?

Thanks for at least reading

Answer 1

I have two 950 gallon homemade aquariums that are basically plywood construction with a glass front. Plans for plywood tanks are easy to find all over the net with a quick google search. The main things to remember will be use marine grade epoxy paint (from a boating supply store or special order at paint stores, pure silicon labeled for aquarium use and stainless steel screws for the construction.

Not to forget you would need serious space for one like mine... it's 8' X 4" X 4'. It's also extremely heavy even before you fill it.

You would have to make your own hood as well, I didn't make one, just left the top open and hung lights over it. Later I did make a screen wire top for one of them to keep larger fish from jumping.

I'm not sure of the current cost to build one like mine, but it's certainly much less than buying an all glass tank the same size.

Best of luck with the tank construction!

MM

Answer 2

I would suggest a indoor pond.. If you wait till the end of summer you can get one at any garden center cheaply.. You would also need a small pool pump ( it will come with its own but a small pool pump works better) you might want to consider a sump as well .. That filters the water at 3 different levels then the pump pumps it back in...All could be found at garage sales ( a sump is made out of a fish tank ).. I wouldn't suggest trying to build one yourself as glass is very expensive and you need the right tools to even think about making sure it is leak proof.. Acrylic would suit this project better but agan you would need the right tools to cut and meld it together and acrylic is almost as expensive as glass. You can paint the indoor pond or stack flowers around it whatever you wanted to do.. And the reason I suggest a sump is that turtles stink and you want to make sure you have great filtration system in place.. You can get everything you need little by little..Also you have 4turtles in a 10 gallon they must be babies yet.. I had 2 and some fish in a 125 and they outgrew that so think indoor fish pond :) Good luck with your project...

Answer 3

If you're interested in building a tank like someone previously mentioned. The plywood tank with a glass front, type in GARF in your search engine. This site has a how to guide on building a tank like this. It even lets you enter the dimensions of the tank you want and tells you the exact size parts you need to build it. It's nifty. If you're building one I'd definitely agree with what was previously said here though. The plywood is a good tank for the hobbyist to build.

Answer 4

wel the frames you can go you a local petstore and ask if they can order you some frames from the tank company
aswell ask them to send you some tank silicon to hold the tank together
and about the measurements
go to
www.all-glass.com
and choose the measurements you want and take it to glass maer shop but im not sure about plexi glass
i always found it not long lasting and scratches easy
i say get glass in the long run it would be best
and put um together
and wha la
you gont your self a tank

Answer 5

If you're making something that's going to hold a lot of water, I wouldn't use cheap-o materials.

Answer 6

I would ike to buy a vowel